Overview

• At the World Teachers Summit in Santiago, Director‑General Audrey Azoulay said teacher attrition has doubled in seven years and urged swift, coordinated action.
• UNESCO estimates covering salaries for the needed workforce would require about $120 billion and calls for innovative financing and a new social contract for teaching.
• The shortage stems from low pay, aging staff, surging enrollments and targeted violence against educators, with climate change also harming learning.
• Needs are uneven, with roughly 15 million additional teachers required in Sub‑Saharan Africa, while many high‑income countries face mass departures.
• UNESCO launched the “El personal docente no es programable” campaign to stress that technology cannot replace teachers, as Chile’s president called to dignify the profession.